Congressman DeSaulnier’s Statement on Protecting the Right to Organize Act

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee's Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), made the following statement on the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act (H.R. 842), a bill that would strengthen and expand workers' ability to unionize in an effort to reduce rampant income inequality and rebuild America's middle class. The bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 225-to-206.

"The staggering rise in inequality we've seen over the past few decades has coincided directly with a decline in union membership. To address this inequality and get our economy working for all Americans, we must protect workers' ability to unionize and negotiate for fair pay, decent benefits, and safe working conditions," said Congressman DeSaulnier. "As a former union member and a former small businesses owner, I have seen firsthand that strengthening access to unions will help restore the balance of power between workers and employers. It has taken more than 80 years to get significant upgrades to workers' collective bargaining rights. There is no more time left to waste."

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